I80 to Rockport Drift and Access

Some of the Nicest water on the Lehigh River to fish is the section from interstate 80 to Rockport. This section is favored by kayakers and white water rafters do to its abundance of grade changes and natural structure.
For the float fisherman this section has it all, from deep pools to long sections of broke water. Most importantly it holds fish, small mouth, trout and the occasional musky are caught in this section. Because of its close proximity to the Francis Walter, the water temperature stay relatively cool and is safely fishable in all but the driest and hottest summers. In addition to the cooling effects of the Francis Walter, more the a half dozen cool water creeks add to the flow and help keep the temperature down.
Much of this section must be fished using a drift boat but several accesses can be found for wading float fisherman.
This section of river is often 50-100 ft wide making 11'6" to 13' rods a practical choice for this section. Often times heavy rapids develop in low or high water and require a good selection of floats including a few in the 6-8 gram range.
A wide assortment of flies, jigs and baits should be carried when fishing this section of river to match the wade range and size of insects present. This section of the Lehigh River has good numbers of large stone flies, which is excellent for those targeting trout and bass using jigs.

Given the time and water release the Lehigh River has the structure and flows to surpass the West Branch of the Delaware as the best trout fishing East of the Rockies. Currently it is far from that, but each year is looking better. Currently the Lehigh River is fishing better then it ever has before with good numbers of fish and some very large ones mixed in.